SolSeraph guide: Seven tips to help you beat this ActRaiser-like

ActRaiser-like? That’s a phrase I thought I’d never write

SolSeraph is a tricky beast. Hailing from ActRaiser blood, it combines platforming and strategy concepts into one game, but this time the latter is also a tower defense game.

What?! Yeah you might need some tips for this one.

For the platforming sections:

• The charged slash functions as a triple jump. I pretty much always have it charged up (hold square/melee attack) at all times. It’s really useful for nailing pesky archers who are already locked on.

• The shield grants you a massive amount of iFrames: use it! You can even jump into an enemy, hold L2, and run past them for a second. It’s insane how useful this thing is and how often you can utilize it. Seriously try to rock the shield button back and forth to get a rhythm for it without losing any sense of locomotion.

• Your main melee attack is spammable and plays out in a three-hit combo. If you find yourself on a moving platform with little wiggle room, position yourself on the right edge facing forward and hit your melee button with reckless abandon. After a few runs you’ll pick up the flow of the combo and when you can be punished (right at the end). You can also hold the shield button and spam melee attack to utilize a new type of rapid-fire combo.

For the building portions:

• Always use your mana whenever you have it. One of the best uses of a spell is to employ your guardian NPC into a weaker lane, while building up towers and barracks in a lane that can basically take care of itself. Play smarter and only micromanage one lane at a time.

• Pause the game and survey your town if it gets overwhelming. You need to manage lumber first and foremost, as it dictates all of the buildings you can create. The next most important thing is food, then citizens. Plan accordingly and prioritize each in a triage.

• Build temples and invade enemy bases as soon as possible. The faster you build and take over camps the less chance you have of enemy ranks getting through to your main campfire. You can take all the time you want in the platforming sections, but time is of the essence in the top-down portions.

• Confused as to where to go next? Press start, hit “Ascend – Exit Area,” and find another place to jump into on the world map.